


One Idea After Another

by FictionalFangirl



Category: American Revolution RPF, Historical RPF, Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Abe is also an idiot, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Benjamin Needs A Hug, Benjamin is anxious, Caleb is an idiot, Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Panic Attacks, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, mom friend! Ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22010686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalFangirl/pseuds/FictionalFangirl
Summary: Caleb is the clown, coming up with bad ideas and multiple practical jokes (usually at another's expense). Abe is Caleb's favorite accomplice, easily being convinced that whatever 'adventure' Caleb has planned is going to be great. Then there's Ben who is the mom of the group and typically the one to say 'this is bad' but go along anyways.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Last Harvest

Setauket, Long Island, November of 1769

Benjamin sighed, looking at the trees as the sun slowly rose. They were on their way to the Brewster family farm to help with the final harvest of the year. He nudged one of his younger brothers.  
“Hey, don’t go back to sleep, we’re almost there,” He said softly, looking down at the boy. Benjamin was the second oldest of five at 15 years of age.

His older brother Samuel was 17, followed by Ben, William at 14, then Henry and Harriet aged 11, with the youngest being Michael who was 5. Abe was cramped in with the six of them along with his two brothers.

They arrived through the orchard, everyone hoping down to greet the Brewsters who were already hard at work getting baskets ready. Caleb was sitting on a rock, his fingers nimbly reweaving a broken basket.

“Caleb!” Yelled Abe, heading over with a huge grin as he was followed by Benjamin.

The barn was fairly large, two barns and a good-sized house for the family. The Brewsters had been very fortunate and owned the largest farm having been founded just over a hundred years ago. The group grabbed baskets, everyone having broken into pairs or groups of three. Caleb, Ben, and Abe tramped through the orchard to the far end. Caleb looked about before climbing up one of the trees.

“Caleb, what are you doing?” Ben asked, looking up with a frown at his friend, “We’re supposed to be picking the apples before the freeze.”

“I know that Benny; that’s what I’m doing! I’ll pick an apple and throw it into our basket. Everything will go much faster, I promise,” Caleb declared, grabbing an apple and tossing it into the basket.

Benjamin’s frown deepened at that before he went to the tree and plucked an apple from the branch. Abe ran to the next tree, jumping up and hoisting himself onto a branch before starting to pick a few apples. This method is obviously not faster and it just bruises the apples. Nobody likes bruised apples. Benjamin shook his head in disapproval, picking a few more apples and carrying them in his shirt which he was using as a basket. He dumped them in the large wicker basket.

“You two have collectively gotten three apples in the basket, and four more around it. Your method is not faster and you’re damaging the produce,” Ben stated, picking up one of the apples and examining the bruising. 

Ben sighed, going over to a tree again and starting to pick, that is until he felt something hit him in the back and splatter slightly. He froze, hand still raised to grab the next apple.

“Who… threw that?” He asked softly and slowly, lowering his arm but still not turning around.

Snickering could be heard from the two trees, Caleb holding another soft apple to throw while Abe felt for more. Ben knew the apple juice was soaking through his jacket and there was probably apple mush on there too. Ben slowly turned around, looking between his two friends.

“Who threw that?” He asked again, starting to get very annoyed at their shenanigans. 

Abe and Caleb laughed even harder, tossing apples at the basket at Ben pulled off his jacket. He sighed at the mark, trying to brush as many apple pieces off as possible before pulling it back on. He walked back to the basket, dropping more apples in before picking up a soft one that had fallen a bit ago. He whipped around, chucking it at Abe and hitting him in the back of the shoulder. Abe wobbled, quickly losing his balance and falling from the branch he was on. He landed on his feet since it wasn’t too high of a drop. 

“Oh, you arse! I wasn’t the one that threw it at you! It was Caleb!” Abe yelled, reaching for more soggy apples to throw.

Caleb howled with laughter, quickly scrambling up the tree to avoid the incoming projectile from Ben. He dropped to the ground, grabbing a few apples and starting to pelt the others with them. Before long they all were covered in apple juice and soggy apple pieces but none of them willing to surrender. That is until someone gets hurt. Ben chucked a slightly too hard apple at Abe and hit him in the mouth. Abe spluttered, hand going to his mouth as he tasted blood and something hard in his mouth that was loose. He spit into his hand, staring down at the tooth.

“You knocked a tooth out…!” Abe exclaimed, staring at it before looking over at Benjamin with a look of shock and slight betrayal.

“I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry,” Ben breathed, walking towards him and biting his lip.

Ben felt horrible for accidentally hurting his friend. Caleb shifted uncomfortably, shifting the apple in his hand to the other and back again. He put the apple in the basket, not knowing what to do. Abe frowned, staring at it as he tongued the empty socket in his mouth. He knew it was an accident, Ben would never hurt him on purpose. After all, this had all been all fun and games until this. 

“Let’s finish filling our basket and head back,” Caleb mumbled, going for more apples from the trees. 

The others nodded; Abe dropped the tooth on the ground before pressing it in with the toe of his shoe. They filled the basket in silence, Caleb picking up one handle and Ben the other. Abe trailed behind them as they walked back through. 

“I feel so bad about knocking his tooth out,” Ben whispered, looking over at Caleb with a nervous frown.

“I know that; Abe knows it too. You know him though, he holds grudges for a bit,” Caleb reminded him gently, lifting his side a bit more. 

Ben nodded solemnly, looking down as they walked. He felt bad, he felt really bad. This was like when they had decided to go skating on the lake and Caleb had fallen in when Ben forgot to warn him about the patch of thin ice. Caleb had been stuck in bed with a cold for a week. 

“So Abe, was that you that I saw kissing Anna behind the general store after the service on Sunday?” Caleb called behind them, Abe looking up and frowning as he blushed crimson.

“W-what, shut up Brewster. I know it was you that I saw climbing down the tree next to Lydia Turner’s open bedroom window?” Abe asked before quickly countering with a frown,

Ben frowned at that, one because he knew what probably happened in that room, the other was because he totally was not jealous of Lydia Turner. He didn’t like Caleb like that, Caleb was like a brother to him! Plus, being gay was a sin. It was clear as day in the bible, homosexuality was a deadly sin and he would surely go to hell for it. 

“Aye, it was! And I have to say that it was the best night of my life,” Caleb said with a grin.

“You said that last time, and the time before, and the time before…” Ben huffed under his breath, feeling a pang of jealousy stir inside him. 

They finished walking back, dumping the basket of apples into the larger one. The day went by quickly with all the work that had to be done, everyone loading into the wagon. They were all sent along with a few pies and a sack of potatoes for each family. Ben sighed, leaning back against the wagon side as he tried not to think about the idea of Caleb with… anyone. He shouldn’t feel like this, Caleb was his best friend, he shouldn’t feel like this. He sighed and closed his eyes, dozing the rest of the way back home. He went upstairs, starting to change for bed as William came up. They crawled under the covers, Ben laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. 

“Night Ben,” William mumbled, laying on his side and facing the wall.

“Night William,” Ben replied softly with a sigh, trying not to think about what Caleb was doing right then before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW smut warning for the ending

December 14th, 1769

Caleb looked over at Ben sitting on the other side of the wagon. “My uncle thinks it’s going to snow. He can feel it in his leg,” Caleb said, Ben raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I doubt it. I mean look around, the sky is clear and there’s no wind,” Ben stated, gesturing around to everything, “I don’t think it’ll snow.”

“It’s going to snow,” Caleb stated, looking out as they kept going down the road towards Whitehall. 

The weather was agreeable then, who knows if it would stay that way. Caleb had learned a while ago that the weather in Setauket could change quickly because of the Atlantic right there. The wagon pulled up, William saying goodbye to the boys once they hopped down from the cart.

“Thank you for the lift, Will,” Ben said with a smile before heading towards the manor. 

They let themselves in because they were like family to the Woodhulls but they dutifully removed their snowy boots. Ben headed for the fire in the parlor, wanting to warm himself up from the cold outside. Caleb meanwhile shucked off his coat and went off to find Abe. He found him in the kitchen, Abe waiting for the cook to take the ginger cookies out of the oven. 

“That smells…” Caleb sniffed a few times, “Ginger! Aye, are you making your ginger cookies Joanna?” 

Joanna, their cook, had what Caleb thought of as the best ginger cookie recipe in all of Long Island. Caleb’s aunt had the best apple pie, and Ben’s stepmother had the best jumble cakes. Ben shuffled in after warming up, grinning at the strong scent of ginger in the air. 

“All three of you out! I’ll call you in when they’re ready,” Joanna said, snapping a dishcloth at them as they hurried out.

“Why don’t we go outside? We could have a snowball fight,” Abe suggested, the others agreeing and they got ready and headed out. 

Caleb retreated towards behind a log pile, balling up some snow and creating a stockpile. Ben had opted for the bush line as coverage with Abe by the porch. He rose, chucking a snowball towards Ben, hitting him in the chest. Benny laughed, returning the barrage before they both got pelted by Caleb. Damn him and his good aim. Ben wiped his cheek, getting the snow off with a sigh. Abe meanwhile had gotten it right in his already small chin. He sputtered, trying to wipe at it with frozen fingers.

“Oh, you arse!” He yelled, grabbing a snowball and chucking it at Caleb who just ducked behind the log pile.

While these two were having their little battle Ben had made a massive, but loose, ball of snow and was creeping up behind Caleb. He lifted the ball, dropping it on his head and laughing as Caleb tried to stand up and turn at the same time. He only ended up landing on his ass, trying to wiggle and dig the snow out from around his neck. He only just shoved it down more. He let out a howl, managing to scramble to his feet and dance around like an idiot to get the snow all the way down and out. Ben laughed, collapsing on his back as he watched his best friend squirm. Abe was laughing too as he came over nonchalantly with a bucket… of ice water. He came over the top of the log pile, able to climb it without disturbing the logs because he was small. 

“Haha!” Abe cried, attempting to slosh the ice water onto Ben and Caleb but getting himself too.

Abe shifted, tumbling off the log pile with the bucket falling next to him as they all sputtered and swore.

“What in God’s name!” Ben grumbled, trying to shake off some of the water but quite unable too. 

Caleb managed to find the humor in it, like always and collapsed into laughter. Ben was fuming now, whirling around. 

“That was stupid! We’re all soaked to the bone now with ice water!” Ben snapped, stalking towards the house. 

That had been a stupid move on Abe’s part. It’s one thing to throw snow at each other, a completely different one to throw ice water on each other and think it’s okay. Ben peeled off his jacket and most outer layers before walking towards the roaring fire. He was shaking like a leaf as he tried to warm himself. He might be the tallest of the three, but he didn’t have a healthy layer of fat as Abe did because of his family’s wealth, nor Caleb’s muscle and fat from life on a prosperous but hard working farm. No, Ben was skinny. He was certainly strong but he was gangly. 

“Aight let’s go in,” Abe said, getting up, and offering Caleb a hand. 

They went inside, stripping off most of their layers as well and going to stand by the fire on either side of Ben. They didn’t say anything for a bit, all of them focusing on the warmth.

“I’m sorry for pouring ice water on all of us,” Abe finally mumbled, still looking into the red and orange fire.’

“Apology accepted,” Ben said softly, “Do you and your brother have any clothes that we could borrow until ours dry?”

Abe thought for a moment before nodding and going to find some. That left Ben and Caleb just standing there, stripped to their long johns which were the only layer not wet. Ben glanced to the side and down at Caleb, shifting before looking back at the fire. They hadn’t seen each other with so few layers on since August. Caleb’s body had changed quite a bit in those four months since. That’s not to say Ben hadn’t either but Caleb had far more. Caleb looked stronger, having put in his first full year of work on the farm and his first full harvest. He also had a layer of soft fat over him, proving that the harvest had proved bountiful for the Brewsters. 

Ben, on the other hand, had lost his last childish layer of fat. He had stretched out considerably though he clearly had strong muscles too and wasn’t malnourished. He just couldn’t put food into his body as fast as he was using it. Caleb rubbed his arms, glancing at Ben before turning around. He couldn’t help but notice Ben too. He didn’t look like a child anymore, oh no, he looked like a young man. A fine one at that. 

“I wonder if they have a good blanket in here,” Caleb thought out loud before turning and looking to find out. 

They didn’t have a cotton or wool blanket but they did have a heavy quilt which would work just fine. Caleb wrapped one end around his shoulder and offered the other end to Ben who took it with a face of relief.

“Abe can be a real numb-skull,” Ben said, holding the quilt tight as they stood a bit closer than what was probably proper. 

“Yeah, yeah he can be,” Caleb said before they heard footsteps and Abe came down with clothes for them. 

They enjoyed a snack at Whitehall before they realized that it was snowing, and hard. Well, more than hard, a blizzard had rolled in and no one could see. Anyone who had been at work, including the magistrate, had been snowed in where they were. That included the boys at Whitehall. They enjoyed dinner at Whitehall and an evening of board games before they retired. Abe shared a room and bed with his brother Thomas which let Ben and Caleb in the guest bedroom. 

“It’s a comfortable bed,” Ben said as he sat down, feeling it before getting back up to strip to his long johns. 

Caleb was already getting undressed and going towards the chamber pot to take a piss. Ben sighed, going to rinse his face as he waited for Caleb to be done and for him to take his own turn. In reality, Ben wanted to just walk past as if to wait in line just so he could possibly get a look at Caleb’s member. 

‘You’re just curious to see how you size up is all,’ Ben thought, wiping his face before going to the chamber pot to do his business. 

Caleb had stepped back, tucking himself away before rinsing his hands. They both crawled into bed and laid down facing each other. Ben found himself staring at Caleb, staring at his lips and his beard and how it would feel… Ben groaned, rolling onto his back and trying to ignore the feeling stirring in him. He had felt it plenty of times before, always before he felt his cock become hard. 

“You okay Benny,” Caleb asked, reaching to gently touch Ben’s shoulder.

Ben’s head turned to look at him and he nodded slowly, “Y-yeah, I’m fine! I’m great!” He said in a quite high-pitched and nervous tone.

“No, you’re not. What’s gotten into you?” Caleb asked, moving to sit up more in bed and look at Ben.

Ben frowned, turning his head away to not look at Caleb before he spoke again, “I keep thinking about you! And not in like ‘oh hey, that’s my friend’ but like in a…”

Caleb couldn’t help but smirk at how sheepish and flustered Ben was getting because of this. It made him wonder if it was because the thought of Caleb made some other part of Ben flustered. 

“Like thinking about the way a tavern wench’s breasts spill out of her dress?” Caleb asked with a smirk, pulling Ben to be sitting up too, “Or how Felicity Johnston’s legs look after she’s been wading in the lake in only her underskirts?”

Ben sat up and looked at him before nodding slowly. He had certainly had his fair share of unpure thoughts about some of the women and young ladies around town. He had also had his fair share of unpure thoughts about Caleb though he tried to ignore them.

“You ever kiss someone Ben? And I’m not talking about your mum. Like actually kissed someone?” Caleb asked, already knowing the answer was a no. 

“God, Caleb, you already know I haven’t,” Ben mumbled, looking down before meeting Caleb’s gaze.

That’s when he could tell that Caleb felt at least a hint of curiosity towards him. Caleb licked his chapped lips before slowly leaning in a bit more. Ben bridged the gap, pressing his lips to Caleb’s. He felt like this must be what Benjamin Franklin felt when he discovered electricity. Caleb kissed Ben a bit harder once he hadn’t pulled away. Caleb had kissed plenty of girls, bedded a few of them too but this was nothing like kissing Ben. Ben was different, he was strong and solid but also soft and warm and welcoming. They somehow found themselves laying down on their sides again, kissing ferociously. Ben pulled back first, feeling his own arousal as well as Caleb’s pressed against him.

“Ooooohhhh this is so bad! This is a sin and now I’m aroused and,” Ben breathed, starting to panic a bit if anyone ever found out about this.

“Hey, Ben, do you want to stop?” Caleb asked, voice soft and gentle and soothing.

Ben met his gaze, shaking his head before Caleb kissed him again. Caleb instinctively pressed against Ben, managing to get one of his legs in between Ben’s. Ben let out a low whine at the contact, keening into it. He buried his face in Caleb’s neck as hands traveled all over and to places they shouldn’t be but the kept at it. Ben rutted faster, feeling something inside him that felt like hot embers that drove him to move faster. He came embarrassingly fast having never done anything like that alone or with someone else. Caleb, on the other hand, wasn’t done but the feeling of Ben’s seed dampening the front of his long johns and his own thigh sent him barreling over the edge and groaning into Ben’s mouth. 

“I-I,” Ben started to speak, Caleb hushing him. 

“It’s okay. Bask in it. We’ll talk about us in the morning,” Caleb murmured, kissing Ben lazily once more before letting himself drift to sleep once Benny was out at well. 


End file.
